Spread over a century, Loi Krathong Day on Halloween orbited

and intersected numerous times!

Did you know that Halloween, which falls on October 31st in 2020, also coincides with Loi Krathong Day? This is not the first time that the two holidays have intersected.

Loi Krathong, also known as the Festival of Lights, has been celebrated in Thailand for centuries. It is believed to have originated during the Sukhothai period, with the invention of the first krathong, a floating candle lantern, attributed to Queen Noppamas. However, recent evidence suggests that it may be a more recent tradition, dating back to the early Rattanakosin period.

The festival is held on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, which is often in November. The main purpose of Loi Krathong is to ask for forgiveness and to ward off bad luck from “Phra Mae Kongka” (Goddess of Water) by releasing krathongs into bodies of water. Some believe that the festival also honors the Buddha’s footprint on the banks of the Narmada River in India, while others believe it is a form of worship for a Buddhist monk named Upagupta.

In 2020, Loi Krathong Day is particularly special because it falls on the same day as Halloween. But this is not an uncommon occurrence. In fact, when looking at a 100-year calendar from 1857 to 2041, it is found that the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, or Loi Krathong Day, corresponds to October 31st seven times.

When spreading out the 100-year calendar from 1857 to 2041, it is found that the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, also known as “Loi Krathong Day,” corresponds with October 31 on seven occasions as follows:

• Monday, October 31, 1887, in the Year of the Pig or 1887
• Wednesday, October 31, 1906, in the Year of the Horse or 1906
• Saturday, October 31, 1925, in the Year of the Ox or 1925
• Sunday, October 31, 1982, in the Year of the Dog or 1982
• Wednesday, October 31, 2001, in the Year of the Snake or 2001
• Saturday, October 31, 2020, in the Year of the Rat or 2020
• Monday, October 31, 2039, in the Year of the Goat or 2039

This is because solar and lunar periods are taken into account. In the past, Thai people would write down stories on lunar days. Beginning with the first, second, third, and fifteenth waxing moons – commonly referred to as “full moons” – the lunar month is calculated.

Since the Moon completes one orbit of the Earth for 29 and a half days, or about 59 days twice, the lunar month is determined to have 29 days in an “odd month” and 30 days in an “even month.” By the end of two months, the total is 59. The right day is the same as the waxing moon and the waning moon according to the lunar time in the calendar. One year has 12 months, equal to 354 days.

In comparison to the international calendar, which uses a solar date, i.e. the day when the Earth revolves around the sun once, equal to 365 1/4 days, it is 11 days shorter. Therefore, in 3 years, an extra month is added after the 8th month, called the 8th month after 30 days, making a lunar year with 13 months or 384 days a leap year. (A lunar year with two 8th months means an eighth (88) month is added by one month, for a total of 13 months, balancing the lunar and solar months.)

And in the 19th lunar year, an extra day is added to the seventh month, resulting in 30 days from the usual 29 days in the odd month, called a leap year. A lunar year in which the seventh month is the month of absence, there is one additional day to 30 days, that is, there is a waxing moon for 15 days and a waning moon for 15 days, so it will make the lunar time catch up with the solar time.

As for the date according to the solar system, which corresponds to the season, the normal year has 365 days or 12 months in one month, there are 28, 30, 31 days. In every 4 years, February has 29 days, increasing 1 day, the year has 366 days called that leap year.

Cr. TNN

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